Microsoft and Xiaomi Sign MoU to Bring Cortana to the Mi AI Speaker

Microsoft and Xiaomi have joined forces to bring new device powered by Microsoft services, with Xiaomi'south unique hardware. The companies signed a strategic framework MoU to interact in fields such as personal computing, smart speakers and more.

As part of the agreement, the two companies are going to work together in areas of cloud computation, artificial intelligence and 'laptop-type devices', in an effort to bring more cutting-edge products and services to their respective users, according to a tweet by Xiaomi's global senior VP and head of international business, Wang Xiang.

We have signed a Strategic MoU today with @Microsoft to collaborate in cloud back up, AI and laptop-type devices. This will help accelerate our footstep to bring more heady products and services to our users, and too let Microsoft to reach more than users using Xiaomi products! pic.twitter.com/7AHhDVQQhu

— Wang Xiang (@XiangW_) February 23, 2018

Microsoft Cortana and Mi Smart Speaker

The most interesting aspect of the MoU from the customer standpoint seems to be an endeavour by the 2 tech giants to integrate Microsoft's AI vox assistant, Cortana, with the Mi AI Speaker in an effort to compete improve with Amazon's Alexa, Google'due south Assistant and Apple's Siri.

Cloud Support

As Xiaomi expands more rapidly in the global market, the company volition utilise Microsoft's Azure cloud platform for "data storage, bandwidth, computing and other cloud services in international markets".

Laptop-type Devices

Xiaomi got into the laptop concern recently with its Windows-based Mi Notebook line of laptops, and that partnership between the two companies is expected to deepen in the coming days, with the Chinese business firm leveraging "Microsoft'due south support on joint marketing, channel back up, and future product evolution for Xiaomi's laptop and laptop-type devices to penetrate international markets".

AI Services

Final but definitely not the to the lowest degree, the two companies accept as well announced their intent to "explore multiple cooperative projects based on a broad range of Microsoft AI technologies, such as Computer Vision, Speech, Tongue Processing, Text Input, Conversational AI, Knowledge Graph and Search, as well as related Microsoft AI products and services, such equally Bing, Edge, Cortana, XiaoIce, SwiftKey, Translator, Pix, Cognitive Services and Skype".

It's worth noting that the companies are only exploring ways to collaborate and have revealed some of the ideas. Nosotros volition have to await for the bodily devices to know whether the tie-upward is fruitful.